Petaling Jaya (ASIAN TOUR): A rejuvenated Iain Steel of Malaysia hopes to fly high when he tees up on his happy hunting ground at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters which starts on Thursday.
Steel has not enjoyed the best of results in recent years but hopes to rediscover some of his old magic at the challenging Seri Selangor Golf Club where he placed third at the 2008 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
“This course always has a soft spot in my heart. I know what to do to play well here. At first sight you think you can rip this golf course apart but at the end of the day when you are anywhere under-par, it is still a good solid week.
“If you win, you have to hit it exceptionally well. The greens are always the best part of this golf course. You need a lot of patience on this golf course,” said the 42-year-old Steel.
A top-20 finish at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters last month, his best outing since 2010, has given his confidence a huge lift as he prepares to take on many of the Asian Tour stars this week including defending champion Thaworn Wiratchant, Anirban Lahiri of India, Siddikur of Bangladesh, Korea’s Baek Seuk-hyun and Scott Hend of Australia.
Family time at his home in Oklahoma over the past few weeks have also given him a fresh outlook. “I’ve been chasing my son and daughter around. It was a very welcoming break because I haven’t seen them for a couple of months. Getting into the home routine got my mind off the golf. That was a well needed break,” said Steel.
His career has been curtailed by a back injury which saw him his lose his Asian Tour card in 2011. He has been slowly finding his feet on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), which is the feeder circuit of the Asian Tour.
“I’ve been trying to lower my expectations when I play on the local and ADT. From there, I want to slowly build my confidence back up. I’m still in the process and trying to be patient,” he said.
“I’ve brought that mentality to the Asian Tour events and that’s what brought me through (at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters). I’m slowly trying to bring back those fast and good starts back into my game but it will take time,” said the American-based Sabahan.
“My back pain will be there for the rest of my life. I’ve accepted that now but the pain is manageable. I don’t think my back will ever be two years ago. It is more manageable and I expect it to be there. I’m not scared of it and it won’t be a shock to the system,” he added.
